Coronavirus

We know these are difficult and uncertain times. We want to reassure you we’re still here providing one of life’s essential services - keeping taps flowing, toilets flushing and drains draining.

We have a dedicated team of operational experts who will be continuing to work in your area over the coming weeks. They’ll only be carrying out essential work to keep our pipes, pumps and equipment running so we can all turn on the tap without a second thought.

Our responsibility for such an essential service is something we take very seriously, as is the safety of our customers and our colleagues. Our teams will be following government advice on social distancing while at work, and they will be limiting direct contact with customers unless it’s essential.

If you’re self-isolating, our staff will take the necessary precautions if we do need to visit you. Our priority is always to keep both you and our colleagues safe.

Contacting us

As we all do our bit to minimise the spread of Coronavirus, we may have fewer people available to answer your calls, so for now we’re changing the opening hours of our contact centres. You’ll be able to speak to our teams 8am-5pm Monday-Friday and 9am-1pm Saturday. This means waiting times may be a little longer than we’d like.

Of course, we’ll do our utmost to make sure that everyone who needs to speak to us can – particularly those who need extra help or are especially vulnerable. You can help by only calling us if you absolutely need to. You will find you can do almost everything you’d do over the phone on MyAccount. Such as check your bill, manage your payment plan and register for the Priority Services Register. You can also download the MyAccount app. If you’re worried about making payments we have a dedicated area to find out more about the help available detailed below.

Alternatively, you can use one of our other contact channels such as In Your Area, Facebook or Twitter. You can also contact us by Live Chat, if someone is available to chat, a link will appear to the right of the screen.

We will keep this page updated with answers to general questions about coronavirus in relation to your water and sewerage service. Please be assured that there is no risk of contamination or contracting coronavirus through your water supply. Keep washing your hands and stay hydrated.

Visiting your home

Some of our colleagues are still out and about working on our pipes, pumps and equipment, but only for essential work. Any direct contact with customers will only be for essential work and will follow government advice. If you’re self-isolating, our colleagues will take the necessary precautions if we do need to visit you. Our priority is always to keep both you and our colleagues safe.

Avoid bogus callers

Sadly, at times like this scams can emerge and bogus callers may look to take advantage. All our staff carry ID, which they will be happy to show you should they need to access your home. You can contact us directly if you need further verification of who is at your door.

Priority Services

Our priority is to make sure everyone’s as safe as they can be while ensuring we keep our services running for all of our customers.

There are already a number of things we can do to help support you through these difficult times should you need it as part of our WaterCare service. For those self-isolating from Coronavirus due to age or an underlying health condition, we'd encourage you to join our Priority Services Register. If you’re in one of the high risk groups with a medical condition that makes you especially vulnerable to Coronavirus, we’d urge you to sign up to to our Priority Services Register as soon as possible so we can support you in the best way.

There are many ways we can help and we’ll prioritise you should there be a time when a fix is required.

Should anyone you know have particular health issues and haven’t yet registered for the Priority Services Register, then you can find out more on how we can help them with our WaterCare service and how to get in touch.

Financial support

We know that many people are worrying about their finances right now. If you're struggling with your water bill payments, please don’t worry. We have a range of support schemes available dependent on your circumstances, as part of our WaterCare service. Find out more information here.

StepChange is available to everyone offering advice online – visit for more information.

National Debt line is also available to everyone offering advice and support should you need it.

We need your help too - what to flush?

We know some people are having trouble getting hold of toilet roll. If you do end up using other items like kitchen roll, blue roll or wet wipes, please bag and leave in a safe place for 72 hours before putting in your household waste bins for collection. Only pee, poo and paper should go down the toilet. Flushing anything else could cause blockages, putting extra strain on our sewers and on our teams who are hard at work keeping the pipes flowing. Thank you for your help.

Yes, your water is safe to drink. Drinking water contains a small amount of chlorine to keep it free from bacteria and viruses ensuring it’s clean and safe to drink.

I’m worried about paying my bill – can you help?

We have lots of measures in place for those who might be struggling to pay, from special tariffs to short-term support. Anyone who is having difficulty paying should contact us directly on 0800 169 3630 to discuss their circumstances or find out what extra support we can offer here. The sooner we talk, the sooner we can help.

Are you giving out bottled water?

No, tap water is perfectly safe to drink.

Are your staff still visiting customers?

Our colleagues are out and about working on our network, but only to carry out essential work. We will be taking the necessary precautions for those people who are self-isolating if we do need to visit them. Our priority is always to keep our customers and our colleagues safe.

If there’s no loo roll left, can I use kitchen towel, blue roll or wet wipes?

If you do use this, please don’t flush it down the loo! You should only ever flush the three Ps: pee, poo and toilet paper. Kitchen towel or industrial blue roll can take longer to break down, blocking pipes which floods sewers and can lead to pollutions. We would advise everyone to bag these items and leave in a safe place for 72 hours before being putting in your household waste bins for collection.

Thank you

We’d like to say a huge thank you for your understanding at such a challenging time. Rest assured, we’re following the latest government advice and if we need to make any more changes, we will let you know.

In the meantime, from all of us at Anglian Water, we wish you and your families well. Please stay safe, keep washing your hands, and take care.